Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 196 › Conversation 196-018

Nixon phone call with Connally on Media Relations

Sunday, July 23, 1972 · 1:35 PM–1:40 PM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Connally, John B.Conversation196-018 on Tape 196StartSunday, July 23, 1972 at 1:35 PMEndSunday, July 23, 1972 at 1:40 PMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 196-018 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon praises John B. Connally for his skillful performance in a recent television interview, specifically commending his ability to handle aggressive questioning and his effective communication of administration policy. They review Connally's framing of key issues, including the international monetary situation, the Vietnam War, and economic strategy. The conversation concludes with a brief discussion regarding a potential outreach call to a political contact to assist the President's agenda.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 17% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello?
Hello?
Well, you do those things better than anybody I know.
They threw, you know, these fellows, they all threw the Wendy quit beating your wife kind of question.
And that, uh, that's all a roll out of the curse, uh, but you just turned every question to advantage.
And, uh, I thought particularly playing out that we were going to go just for the presidency, that you were going to continue to try to build the Democratic Party.
That, that, of course, is exactly the thing that they say, that you're going to support the Democratic candidates for the House and the Senate and so forth, which gives them a chance to come over, gives the establishment Democrats a chance.
And, uh,
I thought your hand was supposed to be good.
I thought you weren't.
I thought you and I were not supposed to be eight heads.
Have you really knocked him over?
Yeah.
That's a great quote, though.
A great quote.
But I was really delighted with the whole thing.
Oh, that's right.
Well, also, your demeanor, your demeanor was so good to me.
You'd smile at them and then go on.
I was just delighted.
And, of course, on this, with Rowan on the international monetary thing, you're putting it in the context of whether you're really trying to support the Smithsonian dreams.
You're absolutely right, because when we set up the band, or whatever they call it, or us, we did have, if you remember...
a commitment that we would try to support the dollar, if you call, and all that sort of stuff.
And we sure did, because that was part of the things we were talking about.
And also on the economy, to turn that around.
And Vietnam, I think, too, to just lay it right out, that by going on Vietnam, there's any – it's a question of –
that we have really virtually ended the American involvement except, of course, for necessary support on the bombing side, and that, therefore, it's an issue.
It's not going to be an issue except unless we want to surrender.
Also, the point regarding negotiations, the government continues to say that he's going to surrender.
In fact, how the hell are they going to negotiate?
Anyway, I thought it was great.
Oh, great.
I'm at Camp David, you know.
And I had a good set here.
I got a Baltimore station.
Just perfect, perfect timing.
Great picture, great picture.
I think it's a gentleman, I've never worn a sort of striped suit myself, but I think that delicate stripe in your suit is very good.
I don't know whether you've done that deliberately or not, but yeah.
Well, it gives a, it gives more, you know, but quite as, it makes the individual not look quite as drab and routine, and yet it doesn't look, it doesn't look, you know, like a sort of flamboyant.
It's a very good-looking suit.
I must, I must, it's a small matter, but yeah.
Yeah, oh, that's a good one.
Yeah, yeah.
Chris, you've got a letter from Bruce Manners saying that several people have been talking to her father, you know, at lower levels with regard to some of it, that he was just suggesting that his father would be glad to do something, and I called him.
He is one that I would be very glad to call if he would like me to, you know.
Yeah.
I see.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I think that what I'll do is I'll wiggle tomorrow and I'll just call in and say that I don't know what it's about, but it could help you on this.
I would appreciate it.
Don't you think I should?
Yeah.
Okay, John.
Thanks a lot.
Bye.

NARA Description

On July 23, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 1:35 pm to 1:40 pm. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 196-018 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 196-18

Date: July 23, 1972
Time: 1:35 pm - 1:40 pm
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

The President talked with John B. Connally.

[See Conversation No. 136-24; one item has been withdrawn]

Also recorded on July 23, 1972

  • 136-024 1:40 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally talked on the telephone at Camp David at 1:40 pm.
  • 136-025 1:40 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 1:40 pm and 2:01 pm.
  • 196-019 1:40 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 1:40 pm and 2:01 pm.
  • 196-020 1:40 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 1:40 pm and 2:01 pm.
  • 196-021 1:40 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Tricia Nixon Cox, and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 1:40 pm and 2:01 pm.
  • 196-022 1:40 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 1:40 pm and 2:01 pm.
  • 196-023 2:01 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 2:01 pm to 2:10 pm.
  • 136-026 2:10 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David at 2:10 pm.

All 52 conversations from July 23, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 196-018, July 23, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/196-018 (accessed October 12, 2026).